3-6 How
blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our
Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in
him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind,
had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by
his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through
Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to
enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his
beloved Son.
7-10 Because
of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of
the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked
up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly
free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could
possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in
making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in
which everything would be brought together and summed up in him,
everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
11-12 It’s
in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long
before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on
us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose
he is working out in everything and everyone.
13-14 It’s
in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this
Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed,
and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This down payment from God is the
first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything
God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
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